ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq summoned a joint sitting of Parliament on March 9 (Saturday) for the purpose of election to the office the president of Pakistan.

According to the notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat on Sunday, the joint sitting of Parliament would be held on March 9 (Saturday) at 10am.

The National Assembly speaker called the joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (b) of Rule 9 of the Presidential Election Rules, 1988.

Shehbaz Sharif, Omar Ayub file nomination papers for PM slot

Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had fixed March 9 for polling to elect the new president, which will be held simultaneously at the Parliament House, Islamabad and the four provincial assemblies.

The political stage is all set for a head-to-head showdown between former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai for contesting of presidential election. Both the leaders pulled out all the stops to secure allies and numerical support on Saturday ahead of the contest.

The nomination papers for both candidates were filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Farooq H Naik and Saleem Mandviwala filed Zardari’s papers while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, Sardar Latif Khosa and Omar Ayub Khan filed the papers for Achakzai before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq - the presiding officer for the presidential polls.

Achakzai, backed by the recently forged alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), flexed his political muscles, seeking the support of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in a meeting at the latter’s residence.

The Awami National Party (ANP) threw its weight behind Zardari, the joint candidate representing the PPP and the PML-N for the presidency. Asif Ali Zaradri has also the support of Awami National Party (ANP), The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and others.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024